Forbidden Fruit
by Reishii-Chan
Summary: GaaxSaku AU one-shot. "We are masters of deceit. We know how to lie to remain hidden; discretion is your key. We are not good people. We can never change who we are."


A/N: I think this may very well be my best written GaaraxSakura fanfic yet!  
Please find the hidden meanings behind the hidden meanings.  
Things are not as they seem. . .  
Review on your way out please

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'_Why does he always do that? He's always so quiet in class...wonder what he's doodlin_g.'

I looked over my shoulder to the right at the boy that sat beside me, staring idly at him as he doodled in his notebook with his head down in between his arms that covered half of his face, wondering whether or not he knew I was actually outwardly staring at him. It didn't really matter, really. It wouldn't be the first time I had openly stared at him in class while he was consumed in whatever he was writing/drawing. He was one of those people that caught your eye unintentionally, and drew you in to them against your will. I think it was some kind of charisma.

But, back to the topic. I couldn't help but feel a slight shift in the atmosphere whenever he entered third period Geometry, and couldn't help but try to avert my eyes away from his person when as he traveled down the isle and lightly brush against me to take his seat at my right. It was a pet peeve of mine, being so absorbed in someone without actually wanting to in the first place, it made me feel sort of uncomfortable and immodest when you would look at someone like they couldn't ever see you.

He had this fiery red hair that stuck out at all ends, the perfect replica of the classical "I just got out of bed" style that was oh-so famous amongst the senior guys of high school. His eyes were the perfect reflection of sea foam green that made you think that there was more to the color than meets the eye. But I've looked into his eyes once, and they were evenly blended. He had dark bangs rounding the perimeter of his eyes that showed that he either didn't get any sleep or he read too much at night, or just really loved liquid eyeliner. His clothes were always Gothic black, complete with the long chains that rattled against each other noisily and the steel-toed boots that no matter how much you tried, you just couldn't hurt the toes sealed inside.

He seemed like every other guy in the school; except for the powerful feeling of authority and raw aptitude that seemed to follow him where ever he went, and a strong venomous one at that accompanying him on occasion. I always got a strange chill that would run down my spine whenever he would be near me — whether he was aware of the unconscious effect on me I would never know.

His temper was always one of the strangest things I've ever experienced, worse than a girl who was facing the epic dilemma of her ''time of the month ''. One day he would be as cool as a cucumber, never letting the simplest thing deter him from his projects and never giving a single thought about the situation at hand.

But when he was mad, he would radiate anger and anguish (no, not anguish, it's putting it too mildly. More like inflamed) from his form that would clear an entire crowd of Populars in an instant and put a teacher in their place. He would walk around with this primitive look glinting in his jade eyes, and glare at anything and everyone that would accidentally brush against him or make even the slightest movement toward his person. Pretty much everyone was frightened when he was in that sort of state, and not that I didn't feel the rush of adrenaline and the little thought that told me to evacuate the premises at any given moment, it was just that... I felt it more different than anyone else, especially when the anger was fixated on myself alone.

I would get this strange twist within my stomach that would coil up into a knot and my heartbeat would fluctuate and accelerate at an unhealthy rate. Now, being a doctor in training, I knew that if your heart rate was irregular it could mean that you would suffer symptoms like a stroke or go into cardiac arrest, so I knew that being around him was not helping my health or emotional state any. But... whenever he would be so close to me that I could smell the masculine scent of him... I would feel so light headed and dizzy that I would literally start to sway on my toes with a glassy look in my eyes. It couldn't be helped — I was unconsciously in deep with this man.

And his name was Sabaku no Gaara.

My name, as you may well already know, is Haruno Sakura, and this is the story of the fateful day when I happened to be partnered with him.

--

Third period came by, and the familiar knot in my stomach twisted dis-comfortingly within my stomach as I anticipated seeing him again, the rush of adrenaline that coursed through my veins made me light heated and a bit disoriented, but I managed to make it to my desk and keep my cool for the first part. It was when Gaara came into the classroom that I felt like I was hyperventilating, and without any air to keep me at least a bit conscious, my heart started to sputter.

He strode by, making sure to fix anyone who dared to look at him oddly a stern and resolute glare before coming down the isle and brushing against my leg before taking his seat beside me, eyes on his hands that were holding a black pen. My hair automatically shifted to the side of my face, creating a pink veil to separate myself from him.

Gaara began to unpack his books, but didn't pull out his notebook for Geometry, instead the familiar black binder came out that was stacked with various documents of papers that I had no clue as to what they held, and he began to write vigorously across the page, each slash of the pen making my heart grate against my ribcage.

He continued to slash and scribble across the surface until Mr. Hatake came into the classroom with exaggerated movements, greeting the class with a salute that made the class glower at him. Damn that teacher, he was late... again!

"Hi," he said tentatively, glancing timidly around the classroom."Sorry I'm late class. You see, the teachers lounge was serving some really delicious coffee and—"

"You're always late Mr. Hatake!" Some of the students hollered from their seats, earning the teacher a furtive glance around the classroom before taking attendance.

I shook my head. Some things never really changed.

My eyes shot to the boy who was sitting beside me, and winced when I saw him glowering in my direction, eyes shimmering with outward bitterness. What did I do exactly to make it on his most loathed list? My whole body tensed with the desire to bolt out of the classroom, but I held my ground. I didn't like the fact that this one person was making me so nervous that I was actually considering leaving without any reason to, other than my stupid fear.

I shall not be influenced by his glare to leave this classroom for any means necessary, I chanted. At that statement I flickered my eyes back to him, and saw the abhorred look seem to radiate from his eyes and the body language suggested that he wanted to get as far away from me as possible. He was gripping the edge of his seat; I thought he might fall off.

The strange thing was, the more his body was angled away from mine in an outward inadvertence to the contact, his eyes seemed to scream for my presence, for me to get closer, which made me a little edgy. How could someone want and not want something at the same time exactly? Well, that much could be said for someone who was on a diet. They're body screamed to have it, but their minds were telling them otherwise.

"Now, I want you all to pair up into groups of two. I suggest pairing with the person beside you, that way none of you have a reason to get into a group project and be distracted."

Mr. Hatake's words brought me from my reverie as I hesitantly glanced to the seat at my left. Damn. Ino was already paired with Shikamaru, so that meant...

With an exaggerated moan I turned my head to my right to see that Sabaku no Gaara was currently partner-less, but that couldn't be said for the person that was at his right as well, Chouji paired with Shino. He seemed to glance aloofly in my direction as well, and, realizing he was stuck with me, shoved his notebook quite violently into his backpack and proceeded to turn reluctantly in my direction, clearing his throat.

"I guess that leaves us, then." He rasped out. Did he ever talk, or was he suffering from a cold?

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah, I guess it does, then," I mumbled under my breath, shuddering when his eyes came once again down on me like I was the only individual in the room.

"Do... you want to get started now?" he asked, making no immediate plans to get his books out and start the problems on the board.

I nodded and brought out my pencil, writing down the equations upon my paper and waiting for him to do the same. When he merely watched intently at my actions I looked at him, hoping I didn't look as apprehensive as I felt.

"Aren't you going to copy them down?" I asked indifferently, tilting my head to the side when he merely shook his.

"We'll just share the paper," he replied casually, albeit a bit forcefully, as if he weren't just looking at me like he had plans to end my life a second ago.

Nodding my head once again, afraid of using verbal words, I shifted the paper sideways so that he could see as well. My heart skipped a beat when he pulled his chair deathly close to mine, legs grating against the floor, our elbows touching on the table and our hips practically smoldered as well. I could hear the steady breathing and see the pensive posture he was giving me. Either he didn't like the close proximity, or he was stressing about not to do something.

What that something was, I didn't really want to know.

I took a good look at the first question and opened my mouth to answer, but he managed to beat me to it.

"160," he said easily, grabbing the pencil from my hand (which sent flutters in my stomach) and scribbling it down in awful calligraphy down on my notebook.

I fumed internally and looked at the second equation, beaming when I knew what the question was.

"10," I announced proudly, reaching for my pencil when he stopped my hand with his. I don't know if it was because the sudden contact jarred me from my thoughts, but the electric surge that passed between both of us was evident as soon as his fingers brushed mine to stop me. Hesitantly, I looked at him and found he wasn't the least bit surprised at the sudden jolt of electricity that passed between us, instead he was more focused on moving my hand respectfully back into my lap and writing down the correct answer.

"20. You forgot to multiply by 2." He stated monotonously, missing the look I gave him.

"Can I please answer the next one without interruption? I don't care if it's wrong or not." I grumbled, failing to jostle him in his seat.

Carefully, as if he were about to break it, he removed his hand that had rested on top of mine on my lap and nodded his head silently."Go on." He encouraged, watching my movements intently.

A little flustered, I read the question over, making sure to double check the calculations before coming to a conclusion. I jotted it down with my recognizable hand writing and skipped on saying it out loud, fear that he might correct it and touch me again. It wasn't as if the contact was... horrible. It was just I didn't feel like getting electrocuted again. Yeah, that's what it was.

He seemed to deem my answer correct in his own silent way (a head tilt in my direction), as he reached for my hand again and took the pencil from it easily, careful to avoid my fingers, and wrote down the answer to yet another question in his messy scrawl. I didn't have a chance to look at the next one before he was answering that one too, and the next and the next, and soon enough he finished the rest with ease.

My brow rose and my tongue felt sharp."How'd you answer them so fast? Aren't you going to make sure they're right?"

He faltered, then shrugged. "That is not necessary," he replied. How could he keep so impassive like that?

I fiddled with my pencil nervously, chewing on the inside of my cheek unconsciously. I looked over at the sheet again and jotted down another answer, growling when he made an attempt to fix my mistake. He slowly closed his mouth and remained stoic, though a little smirk was on the edges of his thin lips, while I continued to answer the questions unhindered.

Finally finished, I set my pencil down and sighed in satisfaction, noting that he had already finished them all and had managed to see the questions from behind my arm while I had been writing. Mr. Hatake brought the class to attention and came around the room leisurely, collecting the papers while handing out a stapler.

"I want you all to staple both of your answers together and I will give you all an equal grade," he explained, collecting our papers then pivoting on his heel back to the front of the class.

Gaara suddenly turned toward me, his hand outstretched in a friendly gesture. But instead of extending my hand out to give him a firm shake in greeting, I cringed and almost fell out of my seat at the unexpected movement. His non-existing brows shot up in amusement as he took in my bemused expression, as if I'd just dodged a bullet.

"I didn't want to be rude," he started, his eyes gleaming in pure entertainment. "but I'm Sabaku no Gaara. Pleased to meet you."

I studied the hand suspiciously. If we received an electrical jolt from just brushing hands, what would it be like to shake hands directly?

Curiosity gaining the upper hand over my common sense I gave him my hand, his encircling mine almost completely and giving a quick shake. But during those seconds of contact I received an electric shock that made my heart speed up and almost succeeded in jostling me out of my seat, giving him an enthusiastic eye sparkle while his mouth quirked up into a smirk, as if he knew it would happen. His hand had been cold, like the biting wind of this winters winds, only far more crude.

Slowly, I retracted my stunned hand back into my lap, nervously glancing around the room, to see if anyone had seen that embarrassing scene.

"Haruno Sakura," I mumbled, not really caring if he had heard or not.

"Cherry blossom, eh?" he asked, and I was tempted to see the look upon his face. Never had I expected to see a large grin spread across his face at the mention of my namesake, but then again, I hadn't expected the contact of our hands to send electricity, either.

"What a lovely name. Especially for someone who just happens to have pink hair. What happened? Strawberry blonde hair dye accident?" he chuckled deeply, a low growl that ricocheted off the walls in the classroom, rendering the students to become silent for one whole minute before chattering quickly ensued.

Being a little sensitive of my unusual hair color, my face turned beat red, and my voice rose three octaves higher in anger.

"I'll have you know I was born with this hair color!" I fumed, hands balling into fists at my sides as I tried to keep my voice a harsh whisper.

But all Gaara did was laugh mirthlessly at my reaction, completely absorbed in our heated conversation he didn't even hear Mr. Hatake call his name after the third try. With lethargic movements his head slowly turned to meet the teacher's sharp gaze, unfazed by the air of authority that surrounded the middle aged teacher.

"Mr. Sabaku. Will you please direct your attention from Ms. Haruno and on me for a moment of your time?"

My face flushed in embarrassment as murmurs of conversations fluttered across the room at the mention of me conversing with this total stranger, but Gaara didn't seem to even register.

"It appears that you've been caught drinking on campus, will you please head down to the principal's office to receive your punishment." Mr. Hatake didn't give him a chance to answer before slipping him a hall pass and shooing him out the door. It may have been my imagination playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn as soon as Mr. Hatake had mentioned the word "drinking on campus", a knowing smile had crept it's way on Gaara's face, as if he was in on some kind of private joke.

I decided to ignore it and continued to listen to Mr. Hatake's lecture for the remainder of the class.

--

Class finally finished, as well as the last three, I headed outside into the cold crisp air and adjusted my jacket. The temperature was unusually low today, and most of the school was being blocked in by large snowbanks the size of mini mountains. Thankfully, the student parking lot hadn't been plowed in, so I had enough room to safely park my car in front of a large wall where there was no snowbank.

Fixing my bag that was slung over my shoulder carelessly, I fished inside my jacket pockets for my set of keys, and froze when my hands came up empty. Oh, no. I couldn't have possibly left them in English class! Panicking, I trotted back through the slush and into the warm building, flying up the stairs and toward E lobby to get my keys.

I hadn't had a chance to look up as I ran up the stairs when I smacked into a brick wall. Luckily, I had had my hands up the entire time in a frenzy, and was able to transfer most of the blow to my shoulders. A little disoriented, I swayed on my heels and started to tip, but two strong arms wrapped themselves securely around my waist.

Dizzily, I opened my eyes, and my breath hitched. I was in such an intimate and, by any of the spectators, romantic position it made my head throb and my heart stutter. Sabaku no Gaara, the person who personally pissed me off and drove me to the point of insanity every blood day, was holding me in a firm position with my head lowered to the ground while my legs were elevated off the floor. It looked like we'd just finished a classical ballroom dance routine.

A little flustered, and a little more than embarrassed, I tried to rock my body to the side to indicate that I wanted to stand up, but his jade eyes, so close to mine, looked reluctant to do so. If I heard it correctly, I could have sworn his heart rate was in trepidation and his breathing was slightly labored, and his eyes, oh his beautiful jade eyes, were glassy and full of lust.

His scent, strong and masculine and purely non-cologne, washed over me. I wanted to drink him in, to be greedy for once. His face was so much more fantastic up close, not a blemish or an uneven side to his perfectly symmetrical face. It was a profile all guys would kill for to have, even the best men models would be falling off their seats just looking at him.

The scent of his breath fanned my flushed face, and my lids only managed to stay half open. I resisted the urge to throw caution to the wind and get even more up close and personal. That wouldn't be too smart, considering I knew what he looked like and what he was capable of doing when he was enraged.

It made my body react in strange ways, not unwelcome, but mostly uncomfortable. I stared into the depths of his enticing eyes for what seemed like an eternity before I finally regained enough sense to focus on the world around me.

I cleared my throat, and asked roughly."Um... could you put me down, please?"

He seemed to weigh his decision for a split second, and then finally come to a conclusion. Steadily, his arms like iron bars, he lifted me up until I was standing vertical again, but for some reason his hands never left my waist. It felt strangely safe, knowing he would catch me again if I fell, but also very frightening.

"Sorry," he said, his eyes searching mine for something.

"Thank you." I said sincerely.

I saw his eyes brighten for a moment, but they clouded over and his face turned into an unreadable mask.

Slowly, they began to illuminate again, and the tips of his lips curled into a not so sadistic smile."You might want to be more careful next time, you never know who might catch you. And besides, you wouldn't want that pretty little face to be full of blood, do you?"

Startled, I shook my head, and avoided his rhetorical question."Yes, I'll be more careful. And once again, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Once again he flashed another smile, and I was about to go on my way when his voice stopped me.

"Actually," he reprimanded, and I halted in my steps as he advanced back over."Let me escort you back to your car after you get your keys. I wouldn't want you to slip and fall on the ice."

"How did you know I forgot my keys?"

Gaara's face fell for a moment, as if he'd been caught. He quickly recovered, though."Lucky guess," he said, then came close to my side, and we began to walk toward E lobby.

He dogged my steps the entire way, always flanking me. I guess he thought I was so much of a klutz I needed all the protection I could get, which wasn't true at all. I had excellent balance and perfect hand-eye coordination, I was allowed to make some mistakes. I was, after all, only human. When I had told him that, he merely laughed, making his amusement seemed double-edged.

"Not all of the world is human, Sakura." He justified.

"I don't get the meaning. Are you including that even animals make mistakes?"

"No. What I'm talking about is not human nor animal at all. Something more... how should I say it... more primal... more... deranged than animal and human. It's a beast that's been told in many children stories, legends, and thrown in with mythical creatures. Such as the unicorn, or the griffin, all sorts of beings that never existed except in the minds of man. This, however, is real, and is the thing that haunts you in your dreams and brings the most fearful and violent animal to their knees."

His voice took on a dark undertone while speaking, and I had goosebumps trailing down my pale arms.

"Where are you going with this, anyways?" I asked, a little aggravated.

He smiled a small, diminutive smile before continuing."You're a smart girl, you'll figure it out soon enough."

"Don't you have detention to go to or something?" I snapped.

"No. I ditched it. I mean, the smart kids shouldn't have to subject to detention, now should they? But I'm pretty sure that _you_ have to attend detention."

I resisted the temptation to stick my tongue out at him like a five-year old.

--

We retrieved my keys (that were, thankfully, in Mrs. Yuhi's desk) and headed toward the parking lot. The entire time Gaara seemed to be a bit distracted, as if he were absorbed in his own lecture and trying to find the hidden meaning behind it himself. I never did understand why some people would be so ignorant as to point out the obvious to people, when they were the ones that didn't know it themselves. It made me angry, and right now I was feeling less than joyful.

We approached my car, and he never made any indication that he was about to walk away. So when I opened my Honda's silver door and jump in alone, he was right by the passenger door right his hand on the handle.

I stuck my head out of the car."What are you doing?" I barked, but he remained unfazed.

His lips formed a smug smile."I figured since you couldn't get up the stairs without finding something to trip over, or from fainting, I didn't think that you should be driving solely on the icy roads."

"Well, thank you for your concern, but I've been driving since I was fourteen. I don't need supervision. I can do just fine on my own. So if you don't mind could you please let go of my car door so I can drive out of the parking lot without being tempted to run over you on the way out?"

Gaara was refraining from smiling, but the little corners at his lips were upwards. He must appreciate my snarly attitude. Good, he'll be seeing a lot of this side if he continues to piss me off.

"Whatever you say," he drawled, hand finally leaving the handle. I saw him walk across the car to come over to my window, but I refused to roll it down and let him talk to me."I'll be hoping you won't be in too much trouble, come tomorrow morning." He commented none too lightly.

"What's up with tomorrow?"

"Nothing. You just never know when danger might come knocking on your door."

I rolled my eyes at him. Please, did he really think I was a little baby? I was nineteen for god sakes!

"Okay, whatever." I said.

He smiled then. I couldn't help how much I wanted to stare at that smile, like it was my only lifeline. I could have sworn he was about to lean in, as if to kiss me goodbye. But then he thought better of it, and I closed my mouth. He gave another smile, though it wasn't nearly as sincere as the first, and ambled away.

A little flummoxed, I revved the engine, and backed away steadily from the parking lot. I didn't know what had just happened, but I'm pretty sure I was about to get ready to _kiss_ Gaara. I clearly didn't like him; felt no need to win his friendship. But, for that split second, I was prepared to forget the world and accept his kiss.

I mean, it wasn't as if I wasn't heterosexual. Hot guys equal to raging hormones which equals to drooling Sakura, simple mathematics. I mean, there was no denying that he was _incredibly_ gorgeous and downright hot, but it made me want to gorge myself in fashion magazines to try to find a better solution to win his attention.

It was shallow of me, I knew, but at the moment all I could think of was to not try to hit the garbage can on the way home again and the way he smelled when he had caught me. He was okay to talk to, I supposed. He was good looking, I agreed. And he was undoubtedly intelligent, which summed him up to the perfect guy.

But, all the Perfects had something that held them down, some kind of flaw. What would his flaw be? A very small dick? I laughed at the possibility, imagining how Sai would have loved it, and turned right at the intersection, almost hitting the garbage can again as I turned. Maybe he had a very embarrassing mole somewhere on his body... ? I tried to imagine a very big and blotchy mole ruining his perfect imaginary body, and couldn't picture it.

Maybe he was missing a toe? Nah, too unlikely. I mean, wouldn't he be walking funny if he did? My doctor's intellect told me that he would need to have lost his big toe in order to walk unstably, and that made me slightly angry. Well, if he didn't have any physical deformities or any mutilation, what _did_ he have? I racked my brain for an answer, and almost missed my driveway.

My parents' car was humbly parked within the garage, providing me with enough space to squeeze in. Just barely. I cruised in gently, and was thankful that dad had decided to remove the unused furnace from the corner, or else I wouldn't have been able to squeeze in. I exited, locked the doors securely, and entered the toasty warm house.

Mom greeted me the second I walked in, dad a few seconds later."Hi honey, how was school?"

"Good, nothing really new," I replied, anticipating her next question.

She smiled warmly and hugged me quick."Did you run into that boy again? Hmmmm, what was his name? Gaara, or something?"

My smile faltered. She was really good at being intuitive when she wanted to be.

"Sorta," I placated. She ushered me into the living room and encouraged me to continue."Well, Mr. Hatake was late for class, again, and he partnered us up with the person we were sitting next to. Unfortunately, Ino and Shikamaru had decided to band against me and paired up, and so did Shino and Chouji. So I got stuck with being his partner."

Mom, who was always up for a good story, settled down comfortably within the couch and rested her head on her shoulder."Well, could you tell me what happened between the two of you? Did he say anything?"

"A bit too much if you ask me," I snorted.

"Oh, so you _did_ talk. What did he say?"

"Well, for one thing, he wouldn't leave me alone and wouldn't let me answer the questions by myself until I snapped at him. Then he continued to irk and agitate me until I was about ready to rip out my hair. And, he _dissed_ my hair color! He asked me if I got into an accident when dying my hair strawberry blonde! Can you believe that pompous jackass!?"

She tilted her head, smiled at my language, and shrugged."Boys like to pretend to be all smug to impress us. It's the only way they know how to communicate and make friendly remarks. I'm sure that when he "dissed" your hair color, he was complimenting it."

"You're kidding, right? Like that guy could give someone a _nice_ compliment if his life depended on it! And he even went as far as to get into my passenger seat and _escort_ me home!"

"Oh my. Is he here now?"

"Thank the only god that has mercy on me; no. I shoved him away (well, not physically) and told him that I wasn't a child and didn't need supervision while driving."

Mom chewed on her lip."What gave him the impression that you did?"

"I... uh... almost fell down the stairs while I was going to get my keys from the classroom."

"Oh, honey!" Mom said, exasperated. Well, at least she knew his reasoning. "No wonder he assumed those things! At least he was being a gentleman. Are you hurt, dear?"

"No, he caught me… before I could fall…"

"Well," Mom sighed. "Isn't that just sweet of him?"

I grimaced. Sweet? "Yeah, Mom, he's a real sugary person." I grumbled.

"Now, now," she chided. "don't be like that! I'm sure he's a really good person once you get to know him."

"A good person?" I questioned. "Yeah, Mom. Good people don't have a superiority complex and aren't bipolar. I bet he wasn't even in the right mind when he decided to catch me instead of letting me fall, and even more confused when he felt the need to "escort" me home."

"Some boys can be a bit emotionally detached." Mom defended.

"More like they're empty of emotions all together." I muttered. She gave me a reproving look, and I shrugged indifferently. "Remember Uchiha Sasuke? The emo-tard? Remember how much of an ass he is to everyone, and how stuck up his brother was before he became a prostitute and a most wanted person? Yeah, he's pretty much on the verge of being another Sasuke and Itachi mix."

"But honey," Mom said knowingly. "Sasuke never gave you the time of day. This guy, Gaara, must have some empathy in him to at least look out for your welfare."

"But—"

"No buts. I want you to give this boy a chance. Start on a clean slate, and let him show his true colors. You never know, he may very well be the guy for you." She waggled her brows, and I sighed, disgruntled.

It was like trying to choose between babysitting a rabid bear and a hungry lion; impossible. Mom _did_ have a valid point, though. Sasuke never bothered to spare _anyone_ a glance, always focused intently on getting his revenge on his older brother, to kill him for getting impossibly drunk and aiming the gun at their parents and family members. Itachi escaped and joined a rebellion group intent on taking over the government, but at least he was sane enough to have some ladies of his choice come him a resound "visit".

Grumbling, I wiped my hair from my eyes absently."Okay," I murmured unhappily. "I'll… try to be more friendlier toward Gaara tomorrow."

Mom beamed, enthused, and hugged me to her ample bosom."Oh, you won't regret it, honey. You'll see there's more to him that meets the eye."

Little did she know at the moment, I was already suspecting something catatonic to take place. A ticking time bomb soon to detonate…

--

I slipped on my navy blue-practically-see-through nightie and started to crawl into the warm welcoming sheets, too lazy to remove my towel on my head. I kept replaying the events of today in my head like an annoying mantra, and I figured that we didn't do half a bad job in the communication department.

I hadn't learned too much; just where he came from, how hold he was, his favorite music… and all the basics in playing twenty-questions.

"You always play twenty-questions with a boy," Mom had said in the little corner of my head she usually resided in. "You want to know his interests and the minuscule things about him, it helps to define his character. It doesn't mater if you ask what his favorite brand of toothpaste is; you just chalk it all up later."

So I asked him what his favorite type of ice cream was; nothing, because he was lactose intolerant. His favorite band; The Kindgom Mashers and Kikin' Trend. He told me it was the only music he could relate to because all of the band members had some rough times of their own, and came together to write songs for the less fortunate.

His favorite food was steak and tough meat, which struck me as a little odd. I mean, who chooses _meat_ for their favorite? Well, back to the story. He told me he's been pretty much all over the globe; he hated being in one place too long. I could guess why, even though he didn't indicate it. He didn't like any psychical attachment, enjoyed being antisocial.

I had asked him why he was so angry all of the time, and he had smirked.

_"Because I'm normally always hungry." Was his clipped answer, and it holds that double meaning again. "I tend to get a little angry when I'm not properly fed."_

_"Angry isn't the word for it," I say, and be laughs hollowly._

To chalk it all up, it was a pretty good day, and I learned quickly that he wasn't so temperamental while I was around. Ugh, goading again. But it was mostly true; he didn't even yell at the little kid that had bumped into him during lunch hour, merely growled and glared. And I also learned, pretty quickly, that he _hated_ his personal space invaded.

We had also collided into the one person in the world who I absolutely hated, enough to make me hiss and spit like a feral cat.

_He glances at the two of us walking side by side, and he sneers.__"Well, who do we have here? Sabaku no Gaara chattin' it up with my Sakura.__"_

_I refuse the urge to gag.__"I'm not yours, jackass.__"_

_"__Ooh, such foul language you've picked up along the way, hmm? You didn't get that from _me_, did you?__"_

_"The only thing I got from you is a broken heart.__"_

_"Oh, Sakura-chan. Don't hate me so much, you're killing me inside.__" He smiles ruefully, and I feel Gaara tense at my side._

_"Stuff that shitload of lies down your throat, Sasuke,__" I hiss._

_"Hmmm, as feisty as ever, little Sakura-chan._

_I hated when he calls me that, degrading me into a little puddle of helpless mush was definitely not helping my self-esteem rise._

_Gaara decides it was time to intervene then, thankfully.__"That's enough, Sasuke.__" He says sternly, with an air of authority about him, but Sasuke's face never wavers._

_"Don't be like that, Sakura-chan__," he cooes darkly, and from my peripheral vision I see two bodies flanking behind Gaara. _

_Just as the two strangers appeared, three others manifests themselves from the crowd to flank Sasuke as well. Too bad I knew them._

_The one at Sasuke's right was Juugo; a large, sturdy guy with spiky orange hair and tiny purple eyes. He always was the intimidation. The one on Sasuke's left was Suigetsu; a lean, tall, white haired guy in Japanese ken-do. And, last but _certainly_ least, Karin; a red headed, bespectacled, pride-less air-headed ditz who was always trying to woo Sasuke. She was is new play toy, and if rumors are correct, he has already screwed her about half a dozen times only last week._

_She sees me, sneers, and moves closer to Sasuke.__"He's mine now, bitch.__" She snarls._

_I roll my eyes at her and step back into Gaara. He has his legs apart and his hands at his sides, ready to strike. Only then did I see who the two people behind him are._

_One of them is tall and bulky, purple tattoos adorns his face, blackish brown hair spiked in different directions, and even has jade eyes. The other is a woman with sandy colored hair, jade green eyes, and she looked like she had no trouble when it comes to flaunting with the boys. I clicked in to who these people are; the Sand siblings from Suna High. Temari and Kankuro, my mind supplies._

_They must have transferred with Gaara as well, and by looks of it, they were ready to defend their younger brother._

_Kankuro speaks first.__"Listen here, bub. You aren't gonna pick on my brother and this cutie right here, you got that?__"_

_Juugo's eyes widen, and Suigetsu smiles wider. Sasuke remains unaffected._

_"And whose to say we can't?__" he taunts._

_"Us.__" Temari barks._

_"That won't be necessary,__"Gaara says, eyes focused on the younger Uchiha pointedly.__"We'll be out of your way. Just leave Sakura out of this, and no one gets hurt.__"_

_"Who says we _want_ to leave her alone?__" Suigetsu jeers._

_"You will if you value you're face,__" Kankuro sneers, and Temari growls._

_Gaara sighs, and, unexpectedly, his hands are firmly pressed on my shoulders, safely steering me away.__"There won't be a fight today. But mark my words that if you bother her again, we'll be here in a heartbeat.__" He leans in and whispers in my ear.__"I won't let _them_ hurt you, but watch who you lean on for help, Sakura. Not everyone can be the antihero.__"_

_I shiver from his vehement words, and let him guide me outside and towards what I hope to be safety_…

I jarred out of my dream violently when I heard something outside of my window. I hadn't even realized that I had fallen asleep. Startled, I frantically look around my room, my heart speeding up in trepidation at an unhealthy rate. I realized that my room was very very cold, unusually cold. Didn't I turn the heat on before I went to bed?

Confused, I got up from my cozy covers and searched around the room eagerly and found that my window was opened. That was odd… I'd been trying to get the thing open for years…

I hooked my fingers around the wooden panel and pushed with all of my strength, but the stupid thing wouldn't close. Who the hell opened it, anyways? I could feel the cold starting to numb my fingers as I continued to try to close my window, and I felt the effects of my disrupted sleep taking its toll on my body. I was a little more than woozy, and I could hardly operate my fingers into hooking onto the latches anymore.

The room was beginning to loose temperature gratuitously, and I figured that whoever (or whatever) had just opened it, it couldn't have been too long ago. That was a good thing, it meant more of a chance that I could catch the culprit who had opened my window. I knew it couldn't have been Mom; she'd already had her fight with my window long ago. Dad… No, he'd been assaulted by it before, and had given up after the tenth round.

So, who could have opened my window…

Giving up on the stubborn window, I settled for sitting down on the bench that was nailed beside it, and wallowed in the cold night air. I started shivering and convulsing painfully before I entered my right mind and grabbed a spare blanket from the hall closet. There I sat, blanket securely wrapped around my tiny form, waiting for the perpetrator to show his or her face.

I estimated about an hour had gone by before my toes starting getting numb and my lips stopped freezing. A slight whistle was heard, but the sound was so familiar that I knew it was just the wind passing wildly through the branches of the maple tree just outside my window. A low growl was soon heard, and I shivered in fear. That definitely was _not _created by the wind.

Taking a deep breath, I peered outside of my frosty window; nothing. I sighed, and leaned back in my chair, but a soft and masculine voice called out to me in the wind.

"Sakura."

I froze instinctively, and allowed the unfamiliar voice to call to me again before I nervously responded.

"Look out your window."

Swallowing noisily, I leaned forward, my back aching from the movements, and squeezed my eyes shut from the blistering wind. Once the wind calmed down and wasn't ruthlessly slapping my bright red face, I opened my eyes, and my jaw slacked a bit.

"G-Gaara!?" I whispered harshly, and I heard a sound of acknowledgment."What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I came to talk to you." He said, and I noticed that his voice didn't have that steely edge to it.

"Now?" I gasped.

"The faster the better," was his short response.

I groaned, and rolled my eyes. "I don't suppose you expect me to come out there, do you?"

I heard his smirk in his words. "Not likely. I'll be coming up there, if you don't mind."

I gave a furtive glance toward my door, and held up a finger. I rushed over, shut it lightly, and came back. "I really don't know how you plan on getting up here, and particularly I don't care. Just keep it quiet and make sure you don't break anything!"

He laughed quietly at my rash words, and I saw him shrug. He looked kinda handsome, standing in the pale moonlight like that. It made his eyes look all the more mystical and majestic, a true pale green against the black background. It was entrancing, and I hadn't known that I was openly gawking at him like an idiot. I looked away and cursed under my breath.

"Like what you see?" He said, and I blatantly ignored his jibe.

"Hardly," I repressed the urge to snort crudely.

I watched his lips form a smirk, and then I was totally unprepared for what happened next. His shoulders were up, back, and down, then they were set back again, and his knees buckled under him into a low crouch. His hands were opened and flexed at his sides, and he maneuvered one of his knees to ly on the cold snowy ground, while the other remained upward. I saw the gleam of white teeth in the darkness, and saw the shifting of his feet, and the flexing of his callused fingers. Then he coiled like a cobra, and sprang.

Before I had a chance to comprehend anything, he was in my barely opened window, his nose just barely touching mine. My breath hitched, my heart palpitated, and my face flushed. It was at least a fifty foot drop from my window sil down to the floor, and he had cleared it in a single bound! My body was trembling, and I could hardly get a grip on my heart.

Gaara smiled in the darkness, his eyes the entrance to pure enjoyment, before he took one hand and shoved the rest of the panel up with ease. How…?

He saw the puzzlement on my face, and amusement flickered in his jade eyes."That's another thing I wanted to talk about." He murmured quietly, close enough that I could feel his breath drafting against my face, and the scent of his breath intoxicated me greatly.

"How did you—"

"Another thing I'll be explaining," he confirmed, and I held my tongue.

He slipped competently through my window, now just about touching torsos with me, and gripped the wooden panel, sliding it closed noiselessly. He then faced me, saw how cold I must have looked, what with all the goosebumps trailing down my arm, and frowned."I apologize for leaving your window open. I forgot how easily cold humans can get."

I backpedaled. Humans? What was _that_ supposed to mean?

Only now, now that he was talking, was I aware of how irresistibly _close_ we were to each other. His hip was touching mine, our feet overlapping one another, and our thighs touching. His hand lifted to rest intimately on my chilled arm, and the piercing intensity of his chilling touch made my blood turn cold. His divinely good looking face was imminent in proximity to mine. If I were to just…

"Before I get started," Gaara said, his voice low and sultry."I would like you to participate in something with me, is that alright?"

I hesitated, sucked in my breath, and cocked my head. "What is it that you want me to do?"

He stared at me for several minutes, silent, until he finally shook his head. "Never mind. It's too soon to be asking this of you. I shall respect your person until I am finished telling you what I am."

What I am…? He wasn't making much sense. First the human issue, now he's going to tell me what he was. Wasn't he just like everyone else…?

He read the puzzlement of my face, and leaned in closer to me, so that our noses were brushing and his lips were only centimeters apart. I felt my head get all light and dizzy, and my vision distorted somewhat with all of the stars congealing the screen. Yesterdays events came flooding back to me all too quickly, and I felt as if I might tip over. I knew he would catch me, so that prevented me from swooning and loosing my footing.

Was he doing this on purpose? Trying to get me all psyched out? Nervously, I looked back into the depths of his jade green and saw that there couldn't possibly be deception behind them; what was behind them was pure lust. It confused me, made me want to think why he would crave for someone like me. I wasn't all that spunky, my hair was constantly a messy net of tangles, and I was known to produce a car load of snot daily.

His fingers came up to hover over my flushed cheek, and I could tell he was anticipating another electric jolt when we could make contact. I waited semi-patiently for him to decide whether or not to touch me. And he did; his fingertips ghosted over my cheek, and I wouldn't have known he had done so if the little shock hadn't accompanied it. He grimaced when it happened, but began to explore further, his hand fluttered swiftly across my face. The contact was so light and gentle I had to hold my breath to keep from making a sound of approval.

Carefully, he lifted his other hand, and cupped my face in his hands. My breath caught, and my heart stopped for a milisecond. Was he going to kiss me!? I wasn't prepared! Why now!? Why not when I was expecting it! He was such a bastard for catching me off guard like that!

But he didn't kiss me; he just came so close I thought I felt his lips brush mine minutely before he slid back.

"Good or bad?" he asked softly, so softly that it took me a moment to notice that he had asked me a question and was waiting for my response.

The contact wasn't horrible, and it definitely wasn't unpleasant, so I answered him positively."Good." I breathed, and hadn't realized how hoarse I sounded.

He smiled, teeth shining in the darkness, and got a bit closer. I heard him inhale sharply when his nose was almost touching my jawline, and I felt myself turn into a puddle of mush. Why had I invited him into my room in the middle of the night again? What I believed to be his teeth gently grazed my jawline and had my heart working up a storm.

Oh, yeah. _That's_ why.

"Sakura," he murmured against my flesh, and all I could do was mewl softly."I am not a human. I am not an animal. What I am is far more incomprehensible than anything else in the world. I am a genetically mutated freak, and my sole purpose is to feed myself. I am a vampire, Sakura. I am dangerous. Right now I am putting your life in danger, just by being here with you, and I realized, I don't want to do that.

"I want to keep you safe. I originally came here to end your life, to just take what was supposed to be mine and to rid myself of the aching pains I would get whenever I was around you. But I've come to see that you're too much of an importance to be rid of so quickly, and I _highly_ approve of your attitude and your temperamental state. It makes me have what you humans would say an equivalent to getting high. Your blood entices me, and that also scares me.

"We are masters of deceit. We know how to lie to remain hidden; discretion is our key. We are not good people. We can never change who we are.

"Though I don't in every right deserve it, I'm asking you to trust me, to put your life in my hands for one night. Can you give me that, Sakura? Can you?"

I was almost too far gone to understand his speech, but I got the message loud and clear. He was a vampire, I was a human, I was his prey, and I was he was my predator. I was in immaculate danger, but at the moment I didn't care. I _did_ trust him, for some unknown reason. This man right before me was the only thing that was on my mind, and I wanted him there. This burning desire was foreign and not at all what I was used to, and I was willing to embrace it and except the consequences for my irrational actions.

"Yes," I whispered roughly. I felt him smile on my neck."I don't care. I trust you. I don't know why, but I do. Can you trust _me_, Gaara?" his name felt good when spoken on my lips, and I secretly smiled.

"Are you sure?"

As he said this, he picked me up easily, and suddenly he was hovering over me and I was lying on my back on my futon. His eyes bore into mine, and I felt so lightweight and dizzy. His breath washed over me fluently, and suddenly I lost all desire to care anymore. I didn't care if he wasn't human, and that he had demonstrated as so. All I wanted was him to pull me flush against him and kiss him mad.

His face was so close... and then he kissed me.

It wasn't anything like the contact we had previously shared; it was more ignited, more hot, more inflamed. My head was swimming in bliss, and all that could stay within my line of thought process was the instinctual habit to breathe and to remember how to kiss someone. His lips molded with mine perfectly, and they felt extremely cold at first, but were gradually warming from the heat mine were producing.

His lips traveled from mine to my jawline, and he placed chaste kisses here and there, making me writhe underneath him. I could feel his intense breathing against my chest, and felt his hands roaming my body absently, trailing up and down my sides. Then, the sharp point of teeth grazed my neckline, harder, more slender and elongated than any other humans canines.

I stopped panting and looked to meet his feral looking face. His lips were curled back in a snarl, his canines were longer and more pronounced. Fangs. I gulped, and was aware of the little bob the bone in my throat did than anything else. I saw his bright eccentric eyes focus on that point intensely, and I wondered what was going through his head.

He came down, then, and kissed that little spot tenderly. I almost screamed at how _good_ that felt. His calloused hands were making quick work of my top, but my hands clasped over his firmly.

He looked at me quizzically."Is there something wrong?"

I tried to think of something intellectual to say, but I couldn't form coherent words."I... no. Don't. No!" I screamed mutely that came out in a whisper.

His hands left my straps, and came to rest on my tummy."I'm sorry." He said sincerely, and I almost felt bad for stopping him. Almost.

"You… smell so good. I… could I have a… taste?"

A taste? Of what? Of—

Oh.

………

……

…

"Please?" he pleaded in the darkness, his voice rough and desperate."It won't hurt at all. You won't feel a thing. Just a little nip on the wrist — that's all. You're too delicious for your own good."

I was flummoxed. I didn't know what to say. He was a vampire, and I completely believed that I trusted him. But… did I trust him enough for _this_? I gulped noisily, suddenly feeling very penalized and very childlike. I hated feeling that way; knowing that I was too vulnerable for my own good. It made me feel weak, and I hated that. I was always the brain — never the brawn.

"…Um." I muttered succinctly.

He seemed all too aware of my hesitancy; he leaned in and whispered soothing words into my ear."Sakura," he murmured my name like a velvety caress."Trust me. Nothing will happen to you. I have control, I won't slip. You're life belongs to me, do you hear? Nothing will happen."

'_Nothing will happen_…' I thought vaguely. Before I knew what I was doing, my head was shaking in agreement.

"That's a good girl. Now, close your eyes, and don't be afraid. This will all be over soon."

'_All be over soon_…'

His lips pressed against my throat, teeth nipped and bit into the tender flesh.

And then I felt nothing.

Just a warm breeze softly wrapping me up and carrying me away, away from the pain.

His voice was like a dark sinister presence hovering ominously over my purified cloud. I felt my soul quiver within its protective shell, and fury engulfed me as my little bubble of joy was being cast into the deep pits of hell.

He was the last thing I saw…

Heard…

He had been deceiving me… a true master of deception.

"_We are masters of deceit. We know how to lie to remain hidden; discretion is your key. We are not good people. We can never change who we are._"

"What a little sucker. She never knew what hit her. This was all too easy…"


End file.
